This text of Indiana § 14-37-4-8.5 (Exercise of rights pertaining to coal bed methane; waste; application
for permit to drill for testing or production) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
5.
(a)For purposes of this section, "waste"
means locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing
a well for coal bed methane purposes in a manner that unreasonably
reduces or tends to unreasonably reduce the quantity of commercially
minable coal resources ultimately to be recovered from a mine.
(b)If ownership of coal bed methane is separate from ownership of
coal, no surface right or any other right pertaining to coal bed methane
and naturally flowing from the character of any instrument in law may
be exercised without the consent of the coal owner under subsection
(d)(2), unless the director makes a finding that the exercise of the right:
(1)will not result in; and
(2)does not have the potential to result in;
any waste of a commercially minable coal resource or endan
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5. (a) For purposes of this section, "waste"
means locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing
a well for coal bed methane purposes in a manner that unreasonably
reduces or tends to unreasonably reduce the quantity of commercially
minable coal resources ultimately to be recovered from a mine.
(b) If ownership of coal bed methane is separate from ownership of
coal, no surface right or any other right pertaining to coal bed methane
and naturally flowing from the character of any instrument in law may
be exercised without the consent of the coal owner under subsection
(d)(2), unless the director makes a finding that the exercise of the right:
(1) will not result in; and
(2) does not have the potential to result in;
any waste of a commercially minable coal resource or endangerment
of the health and safety of miners.
(c) In making a finding under subsection (b), the director shall
consider whether the use of one (1) or more of the following may result
in waste of a commercially minable coal resource or endangerment of
the health and safety of miners:
(1) Hydrofracturing the coal seam.
(2) Horizontal drilling in the coal seam.
(3) Any other technology that disturbs the integrity of either or
both of the following:
(A) The coal seam.
(B) The strata surrounding the coal seam.
(d) An application for a permit to drill into or through one (1) or
more coal seams for the purpose of testing or producing coal bed
methane must be accompanied by:
(1) subject to subsection (e), certification by affidavit of the
applicant that, upon diligent inquiry, including reference to:
(A) the record of filings maintained by the department and
made by coal owners and lessees under IC 14-8-2-47; and
(B) publicly available records pertaining to thickness and depth
of coal;
the activities of the applicant do not and will not result in waste
of a commercially minable coal resource or endangerment of the
health and safety of miners; or
(2) subject to subsections (f) and (g), written consent of the coal
owner or coal lessee authorizing the drilling.
(e) An applicant that submits a permit application accompanied by
a certification under subsection (d)(1) shall submit proof that written
notice of the permit application has been received by the owner and, if
applicable, the lessee of the coal through which drilling is proposed.
(f) If there is a coal lease, the coal owner and the coal lessee must
include in the written consent under subsection (d)(2) a statement
acknowledging that the recovery of coal bed methane might result in
waste of the commercially minable coal resource.
(g) If there is no coal lease, the coal owner must include in the
written consent under subsection (d)(2) a statement that the coal owner
has not leased the coal for coal mining purposes and acknowledging
that the recovery of coal bed methane may result in waste of the
commercially minable resource.
(h) A person with the following interests in the coal through which
drilling for purposes of testing for or producing coal bed methane is
proposed has thirty (30) days, after receipt of the permit application
notice, to object to the issuance of the permit on the basis of waste of
a commercially minable coal resource or endangerment of the health
and safety of miners:
(1) The owner.
(2) If applicable, the lessee.
(3) Another person with an interest to develop a coal resource
who files an affidavit under IC 14-37-7-8.
(i) A person that files an affidavit under IC 14-37-7-8 may not
object to the issuance of the permit if the application includes the
written consent of the coal owner under subsection (d)(2).
(j) The commission shall prescribe by rule the procedure for
objection under subsection (h), including a reasonable deadline for
initiating the objection.
(k) An owner or holder of mineral interests must comply with the
requirements under IC 32-23-7-6.5.